Perhaps it is time for a bit of “joined-up” thinking.

The authorities in Brighton and Hove should paint a cycle lane up the middle of Wilbury Villas in Hove to join up with the effective but ugly and badly signed new cycle lanes along Old Shoreham Road.

A further extension to the cycle lane could be painted on the now unused parking spaces on the east side of the Upper Drive, which would link up with the joke of a cycle lane on Dyke Road.

To the south of the railway bridge in Wilbury Villas, cyclists can use the relatively quiet Wilbury Road, crossing Church Road, and on down Second Avenue to the seafront cycle lane.

It is a shame this wasn’t done before The Drive was ruined by the over-engineered cycle lanes that were imposed there.

I spend a lot of time driving in Holland and Belgium. There, cycle lanes are constructed to be things of beauty as well as practicality. Why do we have an obsession with black tarmac everywhere?

At night on Old Shoreham Road, half the streetlights are off and half the cyclists don’t have lights and wear dark clothing.

When there is an accident, I pity the poor motorist involved.

Holland and Belgium have red cycle lanes (mostly paved) and you can see cyclists on them at night.

Previous correspondents have cited the prevalence of cycling on the Continent but do not fully appreciate why it works so well there.

The first reason is that there is a respect for the law and your fellow roaduser. Can you imagine a group of cyclists in Brighton waiting dutifully at a red light? Well it happens in Cologne (Germany), where I also drive a lot.

The second reason is the use of the bell. Anyone who has travelled abroad will be familiar with the constant “ding ding” as you are walking in and around cities.

This is a friendly warning, not a “get out of the way”.

The third, and most important, reason is that everyone over there operates a “co-operational” system, whereas in this country we use a “confrontational” system.

Why must we insist on having pedestrians versus cyclists versus vehicles? On the Continent, they all co-exist.

Those of us who drive abroad regularly are familiar with cycle lanes painted on narrow roads which a lot of the time cars have to drive in. We also know that cyclists have absolute right of way on these roads.

Speaking now as a pedestrian, any bicycle without a bell should be confiscated and returned to the owner on production of a working bell.

We all need re-education and we have to start somewhere.

Mick de Stripp, The Drive, Hove